Коды

Aiming 101:-----------In Allied General, as in any wargame, you have to study theterrain, the victory requirements, and the units at yourdisposal before starting. When you start a new battle inAllied General, take time to look at the strategic map.There are several important things to make note of: First,white hexes are your high-value hexes, and must beadequately defended in order to win.

More importantly, green hexes are the objectives.Not every city is an objective, so you have to see wherethe green hexes are and figure out the best way to get tothem. Roads are essential to moving troops fast, and seizingcontrol of important crossroads will gain you vital mobility.Some cities must be seized because they lay astride importantcrossroads, because their proximity threatens your lines, orbecause they are near important objectives and will be usefulin producing and repairing units. Airfields are also importanttargets to capture where possible, because controlling theenemy's airports will limit their ability to use air poweragainst you and give you increased air-strike abilities.

Finally, you have to study the units you're given at the startof a game, the units you can buy, based on the historical period,and the possible upgrades. There are several important numbersassociated with units, the most useful being experience, strength,and hard and soft attack. Defense ratings, initiative and - forunits pushing deep into enemy territory - spotting ability arealso important factors to consider.

The composition of your forces is crucial, especially in campaigngames. When you start a new battle, upgrade units wherever possibleto the best currently available, and always use elite replacements.You'll want to build elite, over-strength units through replacementand successful battles. A tight selection of strong armor andadvanced infantry (such as bridging or paratrooper infantry)should be the core of your group. A few 15-strength units can cuta swath through most opposition.

Finland:--------OK, that's enough of the grade-school primer; it's timeto get down in the mud. Let's take a look at theRusso-Finnish battle on the Karelian Isthmus, which canbe tough to win as the Russians. The victory requirementsare to take two southern cities (Summa and Taipale),the northwestern city of Tali and its port at Viipuri, andfinally the northernmost city of Sortevala. The problem isthe Mannerheim line: a rigid defensive line of pillboxesand World War One-era forts bisecting the Isthmus.

First, you'll need to understand your forces, which are amishmash of good and bad units. The conscripts and auxiliaryunits are awful, and the best (and most historical) use forthem is to charge pillboxes and divert Finnish fire - ineffect, these troops are cannon fodder. Also useless are theBT-5 and BT-7 tanks, which seem to be made of papier-mach#.If you use them, you'll lose. Upgrade as many as you can toKV 1/39s; they're slower, but have much better defense andattack ratings. You'll want to start with five or six of them.You'll also want to get another engineer unit or two, whichyou can do by upgrading a Regular unit.

Lay some artillery fire on Terijok, near Leningrad.You have two cruisers and plenty of artillery, so you canweaken it enough for the adjacent conscript unit to take iteasily. This clears the road to Summa. You'll need to organizetwo battle groups (Eastern and Western) based around the KVs.Divvy up the infantry, cavalry, and artillery between the two.The Western group will push towards Summa, then up to Viipuri,while the Eastern will hit Taipale and then make a dash forSortevala. Any extra units should go with the Western force.Mount the bridging engineer and send him north with thecruisers, and mount the paratroopers and send them as scouts.

Saddle Up!----------Move out horse cavalry first to get a feel for the area,then send up conscripts, other infantry, armor, and artillery.There will be a major bottleneck if you don't juggle your unitsjust right to keep the roads clear. This can paralyze you longenough to cost you the battle. Speed is crucial.

Once you've pushed north a bit on both flanks, both battlegroups will instantly run smack into the solid wall of theMannerheim line. You're only going to pierce this at the twocities, avoiding the center. Use conscripts to draw fire fromthe pill boxes, then pour artillery on them and start to breakdown the cities' defenses with stronger infantry and armor.Each city has a 37mm anti-tank piece, which you'll need toclear with artillery and infantry, so your tanks can maneuverin peace. Take out enemy artillery as quickly as possible,and keep your own artillery fire up. It should only take afew turns to liberate both cities. You can use yourparatroopers to either harry units from behind the Mannerheimline, or save them for the attack on Sortevala.

Keep moving up the coast with your cruisers, laying fire onthe forts while staying out of range as much as possible.Watch out for the two subs patrolling this area: they'renot much, but they can take a bite out of you before theygo down. You're going to want to bring these ships intothe channel (which will draw shore fire), so you can beginto pound Viipuri.

Finnish Them Off:-----------------Once both cities are liberated, secure the area by usingarmor to track down the few artillery pieces, then pushboth battle groups north toward their objectives(Viipuri/Tali and Sortevala), leaving only a smallgarrison behind. You might want to take the opportunityto pick up some new KVs. Some Finnish infantry will slowyou down - and they are, pound for pound, much betterthan the Russians. They'll put up a tough fight, butdon't get bogged down: keep moving. Get your engineersin on the northern side of Viipuri, and lay in for thesiege. It will take heavy barrages to loosen these hexesup, so don't commit your infantry and armor too soon.Chip at them for a couple turns, then go in for the kill.

As with any good battle plan, the key is to stick to yourobjectives. Don't try to crash the whole line, and don'tget bogged down in the forests or swamps. Properlyweakened with artillery fire and polished off with a tougharmored punch, the Finns can be beaten with a major victoryin less than ten turns.